1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mowing machine including a vehicle body, a mower unit connected to and supported by the vehicle body and having flow generating members driven by power supplied thereto for generating grass carrier air flows, a grass catcher disposed at the rear of the vehicle body and defining an opening for receiving grass clippings, a grass transport duct for guiding grass clippings transported by the carrier air flows to the grass catcher, and a moving mechanism for moving the grass catcher between a collecting position for connecting the grass catcher to the grass transport duct and a discharge position for separating the grass catcher from the grass transport duct.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known mowing machine, as disclosed in Japanese patent laying-open publication No. 2000-50716 for example, has a mower unit connected under a vehicle body, and a grass catcher attached to the rear of the vehicle body for collecting grass clippings airborne from the mower unit. This grass catcher is switchable between a collecting position connected to a grass transport duct and a discharge position separated from the duct.
In the mowing machine having the above construction, the grass catcher, when full, is switched to the discharge position to discharge grass clippings collected in the grass catcher. When the blades in the mower unit continue to be driven in this state, air flows caused by rotation of the blades vigorously blow and scatter grass clippings and soil remaining in the mower unit, or dust adhering to inner walls of the duct, from the duct that opens rearward. This could contaminate the environment.
Further, the mower unit could be driven inadvertently with the grass catcher detached for maintenance. This also results in dust on inner deck walls of the mower unit and inner walls of the duct being scattered from the duct.
This invention has been made having regard to the state of the art noted above, and its object is to provide a mowing machine for operating in a sanitary way by avoiding blowing-off of dust and the like from a duct when, for example, a grass catcher is switched to a discharge position.
The above object is fulfilled, according to this invention, by a mowing machine of the type noted in the outset hereof and comprising a power cutoff mechanism for stopping power supply to the mower unit in response to a movement caused by the moving mechanism of the grass catcher from the collecting position to the discharge position.
With the above construction, when switching the filled grass catcher to the discharge position to discharge grass clippings collected therein, the mower unit may be left in a driven state. Even so, the power cutoff mechanism acts in response to the movement of the grass catcher to the discharge position, to stop power supply to the mower unit. As a result, dust is not blown from the mower unit out through the duct.
As the device for stopping the mower unit automatically may utilize a construction for automatically disengaging an implement-operating clutch disposed in a transmission line to the mower unit, or a construction for automatically stopping the engine on the vehicle body.
The above mowing machine according to this invention can operate in a sanitary way by precluding blowing-off of dust and the like from a duct, which would contaminate the environment, when discharging grass clippings collected.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the power cutoff mechanism includes a detecting lever pivotable with the movement of the grass catcher from the collecting position to the discharge position, the power supply to the mower unit being stopped in response to pivoting of the detecting lever. By selecting an optimal shape for the detecting lever, the movement of the grass catcher may be converted into an optimal control displacement for the power cutoff mechanism.
In another preferred embodiment of this invention, the moving mechanism comprises a link mechanism, and the power cutoff mechanism includes a displacement producing member for producing a control displacement in response to a displacement of the link mechansim, the power supply to the mower unit being stopped by utilizing the control displacement.
With the above construction, when switching the filled grass catcher to the discharge position to discharge grass clippings collected therein, the mower unit may be left in a driven state. Even so, as the link mechansim moves to move the grass catcher to the discharge position, this movement is converted into a control displacement to actuate the power cutoff mechanism to stop power supply to the mower unit.
Other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description of the embodiments to be taken with reference to the drawings.